Low coolant light came on...no coolant puddles...

[sunil6784]

Sunday night i got on the car, with a first and second gear run to 5k rpms. THe car at all day monday. Today, in the evening, I took the car out and there was a low coolant light. So I ran back home real quick and looked in the garage, and there was no puddles or anything. Tomorrow I will pressure test it. I looked in the overflow jug and it was bone dry.

By the way, the last few times I have gotten on it, I have smelled coolant. I have another thread asking about that.

To check if its a head gasket, I would pull a few plugs and pressure test it, right?

 

[Reed]

Don't know if you've already changed yours or not, but this is the same thing that was happening to me before I found out my heater core went. If you haven't already, I'd check the passenger side carpet to see if it's wet. Hope that helps.

 

[sunil6784]

Thanks for the reply, I checked the carpet, and its dry.

 

[mob]

I have the same problem. My coolant dosent turn off.

I have to fill up my radiator about every few weeks, I fill up the radiator and fill the overflow tank to where the cold line is (less then half) everything is fine, turn on the car the coolant light is still on. Next day I look at the overflow tank and its bone dry, I really dont know where my coolant goes but I do know my car dosent over heat so i dont know. If I were you id wake up next morning and open up your radiator and see if its low, then youll know you have a leak somewhere.

I know the sensors in out cars get dirty, or go bad. You can try cleaning the sensor, or replacing it or if its really bothering you just unplug it.

Is your car over heating though? When you drive the car do you see white smoke looking stuff coming out of your dash vents? My heater core went bad and was burning all the coolant that went through it, making my car over heat and making me put coolant in my car about every week. I just bypassed the heater core, id look into that, try the pressure test, I have to do that to my car too.

 

[sunil6784]

I'm going to pressure test it tomorrow. I dont think it overheats, but the farthest I've driven it with this problem is like 4 miles. I'm gonna look at the vents tomorrow in the daylight. I dont think there was any white smoke. I had the defrost on tonight and the heat was strong. Hopefully the pressure test will tell me something.

 

[mob]

Its not actual like smoke coming out, it just looks like the vents are steaming, it wont go higher then an inch so youll have to look close next time you drive a good distance, enough to get the car hot.

If there is a leak the pressure test will let you know.

 

[iwashmycar]

mine seems to "use" a little coolant now and then also....i just add some. I have dry carpet, heat and A/C all good, and the plugs and such are fine.

maybe its the crappy overflow tank cap or some little thing....

 

[mob]

mine seems to "use" a little coolant now and then also....i just add some. I have dry carpet, heat and A/C all good, and the plugs and such are fine.

maybe its the crappy overflow tank cap or some little thing....

Yea if the pressure test comes out good, try cleaning the sensor in the overflow tank, dosent seem like you have a serious problem.

 

[vristang]

It wouldn't be unheard of for the overflow tank to crack and leak,
but I think you guys have a bad HG or other type of coolant leak.

The pressure test is a great idea.

Then again, I am WRONG all the time.

jason

 

[projectfiveo]

i have this same problem, i first thought it was my overflow tank cracked...bought a new one and the low coolant light still stays on?? i cant figure it out?? i know my heater core is going out maybe that does have something to do with it?? how hard are they to replace? there is only one place here in town that will do it and they charge 400 bucks labor!

 

[sunil6784]

i have this same problem, i first thought it was my overflow tank cracked...bought a new one and the low coolant light still stays on?? i cant figure it out?? i know my heater core is going out maybe that does have something to do with it?? how hard are they to replace? there is only one place here in town that will do it and they charge 400 bucks labor!

From what I've heard, they are one of the worst jobs on a mustang.

If my overflow jug is cracked, I would have seen a leak under the car, and there weren't any.

To check the head gaskets. I pull out a few plugs and pressure test it, right ?

 

[mob]

Yea replacing a heater core is a pain in the ass, if you dont want to rip out your ewntire dash, your gonna have to pay someone like 500 bucks to do it for you. If you dont need it just bypass it whitch will cost you about 2 bucks.

 

[projectfiveo]

i would bypass it but i would like some heat in the winter!

 

[Reed]

If you need to replace your heater core try following this tutorial:

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=646250&highlight=heater+core

I took my dad's laptop out and put it on a chair beside the car and followed along. It was actually not as bad as I thought. I did need to undo the bracket nuts in the engine bay, as well as the top A/C line. Other than that worst part was pulling the heater box forward and propping the lid open.

 

[sunil6784]

Just an update, I pressure tested it today. I found a small leak, but I can't find where its coming from. The traces of coolant i found were a trail on the passenger side valve cover, near the rear of the cover, in a right to left direction (looking at the engine) I can't find where its coming from. Any ideas ?

 

[vristang]

egr?

maybe the heater hoses?

 

[sunil6784]

Heater hoses are dry.

I will check the EGR.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[sunil6784]

I think I found it. A hose clamp going into the back of the throttle body was loose. I Think thats where it was dripping onto the valve cover. Then it would burn when the motor got hot. Thats why I was smelling coolant.

Watson, You've done it again !

Thanks for the help guys.